Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish Garlic Shrimp) Recipe (2024)

I start the garlic and peppers in a cold pan with the oil. This allows the essential oils from the garlic to permeate the oil and minimizes the opportunity to burn the garlic. I love this with wedges of lemon on the side for a hit of acid. Great recipe.

Very low heat, let it cook very slowly, that way garlic never burns and the dish gets all the flavor. And move it while cooking sometimes so shrimp dont get stick . This is one of the most popular "tapas" in Spain (Im from there). And we use a dry red pepper called "guindilla"

You might pull out that garlic before it burns and add in a fresh batch at the last minute.

I love this recipe. Sometimes I am not in a hurry - and I do a slightly different version that used garlic 3 different ways (minced, sliced & smashed) and the shrimp shells. It's nice to know what when I'm in a hurry I can cook the same recipe without sacrificing flavor!

Very low heat, so garlic doesn't burn, but not remove the garlic, you will lose all the flavor. While wine? Never seen it. Shake gently while cooking. Also, we use a very hot red dry pepper called "guindilla"

The key when cooking this this is to use very low heat, let it cook very slowly. That way the garlic doesn't burn. We (I am from Spain) also use "guindilla", some very hot red pepper

This was so delicious. I added some Burlap & Barrel sundried tomato powder and increased the pepper flakes, added a bit more wine and some water to make a flavorful broth, and added some corn fresh off the cob. I still served with crusty bread, though!

Outstanding recipe. All you need is crusty baguette and green salad to make it an elegant meal.

Use Spanish sherry instead of wine, with guindilla peppers and pimenton (paprika, either smoked, sweet or hot) for a taste trip to Andalucia

This is really good with the Catalan Veg recipe. The sauce is nice with the veg.

'white wine' gives the impression any white wine will do...or even cooking wine...NO! For my taste it has to be a drier wine, and dryness is more important than quality. Cheap Pinot does it for me. Also I cook the shrimp about half as long as they say and squirt in some fresh lemon in the last minute. - your mileage may vary

What can you serve with this?

Do you serve this over angel hair or with crusty bread to sop up the sauce?

Man, I went so far off the reservation on this one that I technically can't claim to have made the recipe. Let's just say I used it as a base to riff on, and that my tinkering included butter, lemon zest and juice, gochujang and basil added to the base list of ingredients, the outcome served over rice. But boys and girls is was pretty darned tasty, for sure.

I was worried the garlic would burn, so I cooked it as instructed, except that I removed the garlic before adding the shrimp, and added it back when I flipped them. It turned out beautifully! My hubby called it "legit" which is his highest compliment!

The white wine adds quite a nice, different flavor dimension to the dish. It also helps to emulsify the oil so the sauce is not too oily. Delicious!!!!

15 minutes prep? Does the Times have any idea how long it takes to peel and devein shrimp?I find the NYTimes prep times in general to be way off unless you are a professional prep chef.

I halved the red pepper flakes, which worked out fine if you don't want too much heat. I thought it had a bit too much parsley. I would cut it down a bit in the future. To balance out the parsley, I added about a tablespoon or so of butter. That worked out well. My son and husband liked it. We served it with white rice and broccoli. Turned out to be a very quick and easy meal.

There is a Portuguese restaurant near me that makes a version of this that I have been trying to replicate forever. Their sauce is redder (likely hot paprika or pimenton), but it also has a viscosity that sticks to the shrimp in a way that makes it much better, but it's not greasy or cloying. I don't know how they do it. Sopping up the liquid with crusty bread is also amazing.

Camarones de mojo el ajo fromMexico is very similar… and delicious!

Start the garlic and peppers in a cold pan with the oil. This allows the essential oils from the garlic to permeate the oil and minimizes the opportunity to burn the garlic. Very low heat, let it cook very slowly, that way garlic never burns and the dish gets all the flavor. And move it while cooking sometimes so shrimp don't get stuck. Omit the white wine and use a couple of dashes of soy sauce.